A Hollyoaks actor is appealing for help in catching the man who broke his cheekbone and fractured his eye socket in an unprovoked attack after a night out in London.

Tom Scurr, who played Barney Harper-McBride in the Channel 4 drama, had been out enjoying a “lovely evening” with fellow soap star actors in Shaftesbury Avenue before the brutal attack.

The 22-year-old and co-star James Conway, who plays Will Savage in Hollyoaks, had posed for pictures with fans only moments before Mr Scurr was set upon near the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square at around 2.30am on May 11.

The suspect, described as a stocky 6ft white man with a shaven head, hit Mr Scurr in the face just once, breaking his cheekbone and fracturing his eye socket.

Surgeons had to insert plates and screws in the young actors face following the assault.

Mr Scurr, who was out of action for almost three weeks and had to turn up to an audition sporting his injuries, said: “It was very painful and the next day I was quite sore. I thought it was just a black eye, but it looked like I had had a stroke because the muscles in the side of my face had slid down.”

Det Supt Nathan Tozer said: “This was a nasty and completely unprovoked attack, which resulted in Mr Scurr sustaining serious injuries to his face, and I am keen to identify the person responsible.

“I am really hoping that members of the public who were in the area at the time may be able to help us with our enquiries.

"We know that prior to the incident several people identified Mr Scurr and Mr Conway from the TV and asked them to pose for photos and I am keen to hear from anyone who was in the area and may have taken pictures of the pair on their phone, or noticed the incident taking place.”

Mr Scurr met his attacker in a nearby noodle bar where the suspect became aggressive. The man, who was with a woman with shoulder-length brown hair at the time, attacked the actor after Mr Scurr had tried to diffuse the row - which came just days before his final appearance on the popular show

Mr Scurr, from Pimlico, said: “The point needs to be made that a punch can be more than just a bruise, so many people go out and live without consequences.

“Some people get as drunk as possible, sweat all over a bar and punch someone in the face for no apparent reason – they have very little going on in their heads.”